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Actually a regular ed student can be prohibited from entering public school property after expulsion.

Any public school can expel a student and request that h/she be unable to return to that school district for a specific reason. But the student cannot be prevented from obtaining an education elsewhere.

1. Tell your son we must all follow the rules, no matter how frustrating they are because the very fabric of society depends on conformity.

2. Tell your son that some rules are just too stupid to be believed and we must take a stand to prevent others from being run roughshod over for the sake of political correctness.

Except that it's really not that stupid. As another poster pointed out, this is very close to the Sandy Hook incident. Fears are heightened. Accidents happen. People have a moment of carelessness with no bad intent. No harm, no foul, right?

And then someone comes along who does have bad intent. Maybe it's the guy who's pissed off because Wal-Mart wouldn't sell him a gun. He's walking by the school and decides to walk by the cars. He sees a truck with a gun in it. He could easily take the gun and go do whatever. It's a reach, but these things happen. When you take on the adult responsibility of handling firearms, you are 100% responsible for those arms. You don't get to forget and leave your gun in the car.

I go with #1, modified to explain the social contract where we benefit from society as we modify our behavior to be accepted by it. If a law is evil, like apartheid, then #2 applies. Banning firearms from school campuses is evil? As a parent, I wouldn't want the boy to get his hand slapped and still sit next to my daughter in class. I would want him to spend the next year away thinking about his responsibilities.

I am amazed he did not get arrested. Here in Texas we are notorious for the school to prison pipeline. Even for drawing on the bathroom walls you will be arrested IEP or no IEP and your whole life ends there. What state are you in?

I am in Alabama. I understand what all of you are stating and I am not asking that he gets his hand slapped. I know he has to face the consequences and he knows that. The fact of the matter is that since he is special ed, IDEA (which is a federal program) dictates that he has to receive an education. I understand if he gets in Alternative School for a year or he does get expelled and they have to send his work to him. I am just glad he will still get an education. That is my point and all I want for him. And lhpartidge, I hope your daughter never makes a mistake and you have to go through anything like this. It is truly devastating for my family. Never say it won't happen to you because I thought the same thing two weeks ago.

I am in Alabama. I understand what all of you are stating and I am not asking that he gets his hand slapped. I know he has to face the consequences and he knows that. The fact of the matter is that since he is special ed, IDEA (which is a federal program) dictates that he has to receive an education. I understand if he gets in Alternative School for a year or he does get expelled and they have to send his work to him. I am just glad he will still get an education. That is my point and all I want for him. And lhpartidge, I hope your daughter never makes a mistake and you have to go through anything like this. It is truly devastating for my family. Never say it won't happen to you because I thought the same thing two weeks ago.

I am in Alabama. I understand what all of you are stating and I am not asking that he gets his hand slapped. I know he has to face the consequences and he knows that. The fact of the matter is that since he is special ed, IDEA (which is a federal program) dictates that he has to receive an education. I understand if he gets in Alternative School for a year or he does get expelled and they have to send his work to him. I am just glad he will still get an education. That is my point and all I want for him. And lhpartidge, I hope your daughter never makes a mistake and you have to go through anything like this. It is truly devastating for my family. Never say it won't happen to you because I thought the same thing two weeks ago.

Something similar did happen with our son. That's how I know what I'm talking about. He was denied any kind of education services from the school district for a calendar year. The other boys involved were able to go to the alternative school because they had IEPs. That hurt even more because our son had been denied special education services for the two years prior. We didn't push the expulsion consequences because our district has a history of retaliation, and our daughter was a high-achieving honors student. They were less than two years apart in age, but four grades apart. Not only was the devastation to our family immediate, it has continued for the last 10 years. Just now is our son able to hold down a job. He still can't support himself, so we have to keep him afloat. There have been thousands of dollars burned away on lawyers, unfinished schooling, and fines. We're constantly bracing for the next catastrophe. It's a hell of a way to live. We can't help but believe that if the school had tried to help him rather than label him as a troublemaker, our lives would have been much better, and he still would have learned his lesson.

It is because of this experience that I advised you to get your son enrolled as soon as possible, and not to waste money you don't have on lawyers who will not be able to change the district's ruling. If you have money to burn, then go ahead. But if you don't, then take my word for it. Private schools that take kids who get expelled are not cheap. And you have to pay for at least a year, usually a year and a half. I've thought about your son often. He sounds like a much better kid than ours, one who made a careless mistake rather than anything bad intentioned. I really do hope that your family recovers from this episode. He should be able to re-enroll in his school next year and graduate with his class. You just have to help him stay focused and learn how to make the best of things. Good luck.

We are trying to get a lawyer but money is an issue. The issue with private school is I don't know if he can do it academically. My nephews go to the only one in our town and it is tough and does not accomodate special needs. There are a few across the river though that I am checking into.

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